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South Burlington Police Department entry pay
What this agency pays a new officer to start, and how that compares with the rest of the country.
Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.
South Burlington Police Department starts at $64,668 a year — about $31.09 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $2,017 below the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $3,472 below the median for municipal agencies.
How big the department isSouth Burlington Police Department reported 33 sworn officers and 9 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.5 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 22,106.A rate is only meaningful for a city department, where the population served is the city’s own. Reporting to the FBI is voluntary, so a count can reflect a partial return as easily as a small agency, and the FBI asks that agencies not be compared on staffing. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Full-time Law Enforcement Employees, 2025.
What South Burlington says about itself
It is the mission of the South Burlington Police Department to foster a safe environment which promotes a high quality of life within our community.
What South Burlington does
SBPD says its sworn and civilian staff are its most important resource and that it is committed to attracting and retaining excellent personnel. The department emphasizes community responsibility, modern facilities, training and specialized assignments.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. South Burlington Police Department Salary & Benefits page — open the source document
Their source is effective 10 August 2026.
Entry-level base salary only. Overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift
differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more
than this.
How this level compares
Where South Burlington sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.
| Level | Lowest | Median | Highest | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | $33,280 | $68,140 | $163,619 | 1549 |
| County | $35,000 | $63,565 | $132,263 | 516 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,204 | $107,954 | 71 |
| State | $33,994 | $65,166 | $110,916 | 145 |
| Federal | $70,477 | $73,502 | $86,530 | 5 |
| Territory | $16,640 | $28,236 | $43,354 | 9 |
Federal agencies pay the most to start
The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $5,400 more than the middle municipal agency and about $9,900 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,300 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. South Burlington starts at $64,668, so $3,472 below the municipal middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a South Burlington Police Department officer make?
South Burlington Police Department starts a new officer on $64,668 a year, about $31.09 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from South Burlington Police Department Salary & Benefits page.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Vermont?
It ranks #8 of 16 agencies we have verified in Vermont — 8 pay less, 7 pay more in the state — and #1,282 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $2,017 below, and against other municipal agencies $3,472 below.
Compare with another department
Put South Burlington Police Department side by side with any other agency on the site — the two salaries, what each is worth once local prices are counted, and which comes out ahead.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in VT
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs South | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont State Police | State | 256 | $84,160 | +$19,492 | #370 |
| 2 | Burlington Police Department | Municipal | 59 | $81,653 | +$16,985 | #435 |
| 3 | Montpelier Police Department | Municipal | 15 | $80,870 | +$16,202 | #466 |
| 4 | Williston Police Department | Municipal | 14 | $71,032 | +$6,364 | #873 |
| 5 | Brandon Police Department | Municipal | 2 | $70,720 | +$6,052 | #899 |
| 6 | Rutland City Police Department | Municipal | — | $67,600 | +$2,932 | #1,089 |
| 7 | Colchester Police Department | Municipal | 27 | $66,560 | +$1,892 | #1,156 |
| 9 | Winooski Police Department | Municipal | 15 | $63,752 | −$916 | #1,333 |
| 10 | Barre Town Police Department | Municipal | 6 | $61,194 | −$3,475 | #1,491 |
| 11 | Stowe Police Department | Municipal | 13 | $60,070 | −$4,598 | #1,560 |
| 12 | Shelburne Police Department | Municipal | 10 | $59,613 | −$5,055 | #1,604 |
| 13 | Barre City Police Department | Municipal | — | $58,531 | −$6,137 | #1,651 |
Base pay is only part of the year
Whatever the figure above, the rotation is what decides your year — which weekends you lose, when the changeovers land, what you can plan around. Save yours once and BlueShifts shows it a year ahead, with the off-duty jobs you take and what each one paid.
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